Epic is one of those words that can be overused when describing a show like Game of Thrones. But in the case of ‘Beyond The Wall’, it really is the only word that comes near to what episode six delivered.

It’s been a long time coming, but Winter is finally here and so is season seven of Game of Thrones. And if the season premiere is anything to go by, showrunners David Benioff and D.B Weiss are pulling out all stops to lay the groundwork for the final season, next year.

Ten minutes. All it took was ten minutes to break the hearts of Game of Thrones fans all over the world. Ten minutes of intense, heart stopping action that also managed to answer one of the most enduring questions of the entire book and TV series.

The producers of Game of Thrones had to pull something out of the bag to wrap up season five. After all, we had the rise of the White Walkers in episode 8 and the double whammy of Stannis killing his daughter and Dany saved by her dragons in episode 9. What could they throw at us in the season finale?

You think Game of Thrones is ‘dark’, what with its violence, the Walkers, a Red Wedding and executions? Well, you haven’t seen anything yet. In episode six, we venture down dark corridors that make for disturbed viewing.

Heads up everyone. There will be violence and nudity in Episode 5. Just in case you were wondering. But really the pre-show warnings should include ‘this episode contains scenes of emotional torture and dragons'.

The last we saw of Arya Stark, she was sailing towards a new life in Braavos in the final episode of Season Four. Having survived her journey through Westeros with The Hound, Arya was looking to a new beginning.

Thank the Old Gods and New; Game of Thrones is back, even if it is just for a few more weeks. And in “The Mountain and The Viper”, story lines are starting to be tied up, while others are beginning to open up.

After the emotional peak that was Tyrion’s courtroom speech last week, the question was always whether Mockingbird would reach the same dizzying heights. It had a lot to live up to and in it’s own way, it measures up.

As a book reader, I’ll admit to mixed feelings about the show. I love it, but miss the complexity of the plotlines as laid out in George RR Martin’s novels. At times, the show has felt rushed and two-dimensional. Knowing what had been left out was aggravating.